St. Louis U. High
Theology Department
Freshman Theology Homepage
Course Goals: Freshman Year Introduction to Catholic Christianity | Introduction to Scripture: Old Testament

Sophomore Theology Homepage
Course Goals:Sophomore Year Introduction to New Testament | Sacraments | Sexuality & Dating

Junior Theology Homepage
Course Goals: Junior Year Faith | Morality Goals


Senior Theology Homepage:
Course goals: Life Choices | Relgious Experience | electives

Theology Curricula 2005
Course Descrptions


Theology Department Faculty

Jesuit Resources on the World Wide Web
Jesuit Documents available on the internet:
What Makes a Jesuit High School Jesuit? | Schematic Outline of the Characteristics of Jesuit Education | Monika Hellwig's "Finding God in All Things"


Guiding Ideals of Jesuit Education



Guiding Ideals at St.Louis U. High



National Catholic Education Association
K-12 Religious Education Outcomes for Catholic Schools


Mission Statement approved by the Board of Trustees
of St. Lous U. High, September 2004


St. Louis University High School
Mission Statement


St. Louis University High School is a Catholic, Jesuit learning community dedicated to building Christ's Kingdom of truth, justice, love and peace.

As a Catholic school committed to its presence in the city of St. Louis, WE SEEK talented young men who reflect the economic, geographic, and social diversity of the area and who find strength, purpose, and dignity in the pursuit of wisdom and in the vision and values of Jesus Christ.

As a Jesuit school dedicated to developing our gifts for the generous service of others, WE CHALLENGE this group of young men and ourselves to cultivate life-affirming virtues, lively imaginations, critical minds, and compassionate hearts. Because spiritual formation must accompany the intellectual, aesthetic, social, and physical formation of our students, we hope to foster habits of personal prayer and reflection.

As a college preparatory school with a historic commitment to a rigorous program of academic excellence, WE STRIVE to create in our students a life-long devotion to learning�a devotion that informs moral choices and transforms lives.




PHILOSOPHY OF ST. LOUIS U. HIGH'S THEOLOGY DEPARTMENT

"In its philosophy and objectives, the Theology Department of St. Louis University High School builds upon the philosophy and objectives of the school as a whole presented in the "Grad at Grad" document. The four-year program is a progressive process designed both to inform students of the major elements of their Catholic Faith and to present opportunities which lead to an interiorization of that faith. Accordingly, members of the department strive, with the grace of God, to provide the information, ambience, and modeling which lead a student to a greater understanding, acceptance, and living of his faith.

More specifically, department members attempt to help a student begin to understand his responsibility and need to pursue his own growth as a religious person. Recognizing that humans are finite creatures with gifts and limits, faculty members encourage each student to develop as fully as he can. Furthermore, department faculty are conscious that, even with his limitations, the student is accepted by a loving, forgiving, and gracious God; thus members of the department strive to help him accept himself as he is.

Faith is dynamic. We, therefore, attempt to show how faith is actualized and celebrated in the sacraments, in the Christian community, and in the doing of the deeds of justice. We also teach that faith necessitates taking a stand against such issues as prejudice, religious indifferentism, moral permissiveness, secular materialism, and anti-religious attitudes both in the student himself and in the community and world in which he lives. Desiring that a student's outlook and concerns become broader and more global during his high school years, the department also encourages the student to a realistic practice and embodiment of his faith and values in the local communities - family, peers, parish, school, and civic - which are microcosms of the global community.

Members of the department recognize that the broader goals of Christian education and development are the responsibility of no one academic department, but of the total St. Louis University High School Community. The theology faculty, therefore, sees itself working in union with the Pastoral Program and with the other departments and programs of the school, both academic and co-curricular.


Summary of Philosophy & Goals


In sum, we attempt to present Christianity as a viable, integrated way of life, as a leaven both for the individual and for the world, and as a guiding principle and value for the building up of both the individual and his world into new entities which are more fully human and divine. In all of this, the prime exemplar and enabler is Jesus Christ who is the model, message, and incarnation of a truly generous and loving God and a truly human and integral "man for others." In our ministry of evangelization and catechesis, specifically the department attempts to enable the students to:
�encounter Christ in the Gospels so that they might take on his mind and heart;
�understand and appreciate the meaning and practice of the sacraments;
�understand and appreciate Scripture and the legitimate approaches to its interpretation;
�work through moral issues with increased clarity;
�develop a positive attitude toward religion, God, and the Church;
�develop a critical Christian consciousness by understanding the disjunction between Christian values and the dominant values of society;
�understand how commitment to Christ affects both one's daily choices and one's more basic "life choices;"
�understand and appreciate Catholic doctrine, practice, and history;
�acquire a Christian attitude toward sexuality;
�integrate the presence of God into their lives, especially through the knowledge and practice of prayer;
�achieve a better understanding of life choices, particularly marriage, and to freely and responsibly make those life choices; �understand that the call to faith is the call to "do justice;"
�understand the nature of the human person from Christian and non-Christian viewpoints.

IMPORTANT JESUIT IDEALS
Two Standards and the Kingdom Ignatius saw human history and human existence as profoundly dramatic, as a struggle between light and darkness, tragedy and joy, good and evil. As men with an Ignatian vision, we cannot fail to perceive the dramatic choices we face. The Two Standards and the Kingdom, as images of these dramatic realities, help us to interpret them.

Magis Magis Excellence in all things -- A thirst for the more, for the greater good, for the most courageous response to the challenges of our time. An ideal and tradition spanning more than four hundred and fifty years. Striving for excellence is a hallmark of Jesuit education: its dedicated faculty, its talented students and alumni living in all parts of the world, and most of all, its rigorous academics rooted in Catholic ideals and the Jesuit tradition. Pursuing its mission of faith, discovery and service,Jesuit education seeks to help talented adolescents develop their talents and abilities and then to go and use those talents and abilities to serve others.


Insignis This describes the sort of person that St. Ignatius would have wanted to draw to the Society of Jesus or be formed through the influence of the Society - a person who was magnanimous, generous, influential, an outstanding leader, and one who would recognize the good and do it. It is also the name of the premier award in the final year in a number of Jesuit schools.


IHS An ancient abbreviation of the name of Jesus formed by taking the first three letters of the Name in Greek (IHSOUS) which was later adopted by the Society of Jesus as a common logo.


Contemplation A particular way of praying encouraged by St. Ignatius whereby the one praying puts him or herself imaginatively into (usually) a gospel scene, using all their senses and interacting with the characters in the story.


Consolation Spiritual consolation is what St. Ignatius calls "any increase in faith, hope and charity." It is when one experiences a feeling or cluster of feelings, of peace and/or positive emotions that draw one towards God. The opposite of "consolation" is "desolation."


Desolation Spiritual desolation includes any of those feelings of depression, gloominess, confusion, and disquiet that moves one away from God. The opposite of "desolation" is "consolation."


Indifference Ignatian indifference is putting aside personal preferences, attachments, and pre-formed opinions to be completely balanced and open to God's will when it comes to making a choice or decision.


contemplatio ad amorem The basic perception that the reality of God is immanent in nature and human history.


the comtemplative in action Ignatian men are those who strive to perceive those deeper and sweeping realities in the ebb and flow of current events in their own lives and in the larger society around them. In one sense they are dreamers, utopian, who dream of the possible, and of the more than possible. But they are also men of action, who will confront the issues of their day, take a stand. this intimate connection between the perception of the Kingdom of God and action to further its growth must be stressed.


Discernment (of spirits) Discernment is "where prayer and action meet." It is a sifting of spiritual movements within oneself in order to be able to identify and distinguish the best choices. Some methods of discernment are outlined in the Spiritual Exercises. Discernment usually involves a consideration of spiritual consolation or desolation. Discernment may be individual (for personal decisions) or communal (where a community wishes to make an important corporate decision prayerfully).


Please send any comments, suggestions or corrections
to Matthew Sciuto
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